Richmond Class
Intended to replace the Constitution Class Refit, the Richmond Class was unable to be produced in sufficient numbers to completely replace the venerable Heavy Cruiser. She did however prove to be an excellent fleet Cruiser, supporting heavier Capital Ships in Heavy Battlegroups. With heavier shielding and greater firepower than the older Constitution Class Refit, she is better able to function in intense fleet engagements. Development As the War of Pacification drew to a close, and the great offensive against the ISC coming to an end, the age and vulnerability of the Constitution Class Refit began to show. A proposal was drawn up to construct a 'New Heavy Cruiser' using the Lexington Class Command Cruiser as a basis. Using the stronger hull and more powerful shield systems of the Lexington Class, the resulting design replaced the QCB projector with an additional Type B Phaser Emitter. This gave the Richmond, as she was christened, with a superior Primary Weapons Array to the Constitution Class Refit without the complexity of the specialised tractor beam weaponry. Her Secondary Weapons Array was equal to that of the older design, but this was considered sufficient in light of the single Photon Torpedo Tubes mounted on most Klingon designs. Operational History The Lexington Class Command Cruiser was delayed entering service due to the War of Pacification, and therefore when hull production commenced in 2290, priority was given to this class. The knock-on effect of this was that insufficient numbers of Richmonds entered service to fully replace the Constitution Class Refit before the General War began in 2292. With the discovery of the ISC Subspace Slipway in the Regula Badlands giving great urgency to a pre-emptive strike, overhauls of Constitution Class Refit Heavy Cruisers continued and a new role was found for the Richmond Class. These new, powerful Heavy Cruisers were placed into service with Starfleet Heavy Battlegroups, serving as escorts for the larger, slower Capital Ships. In this role, their heavier firepower, stronger shields and tougher hulls allowed the Richmond Class to go toe-to-toe with ISC Type CA-VIII Heavy Cruisers. Apocrypha With the ending of hostilities in August 2292, the Federation Prime Fleet returned to the Alpha Quadrant. Upon standard post-combat inspections, many structural fatigue faults were discovered. The design of the Lexington Class had proven quick to construct and inexpensive, but was unsuitable for the long distances they had covered in the General War. The Richmond Class was similarly affected and this left Starfleet with a problem, one that was handily solved in the following year. The signing of the Khitomer Accords in 2293 brought about a vast reduction in the size and diversity of Starfleet. More Excelsior Class Battlecruisers were being commissioned, and along with several other classes, the Lexington Class and the Richmond Class were decommissioned as part of the accords. This seemed to outsiders that Starfleet was sacrificing one of their most promising new Cruiser designs when in fact, it gave them a face-saving way to retire a flawed wartime design with no future in the peacetime fleet. Specifications * Class: 'Heavy Cruiser, New * 'Hull Type Designation: '''FNCA * '''Length: 397m * Crew: 610 * Warp Nacelles: '''2 * '''Maximum Sublight Speed: 3525 k/s (35.25 Mk/s) * Cruise Warp Factor Speed: wf 7.5 * Safe Maximum Warp Factor Speed: wf 9.0 * Hull Rating: '300 HSF * 'Shield Rating: 697 FSP * Sensor Rating: 800 SRU * Armament and Equipment: ** Primary *** 5 × Type B Phaser Emitter ** Secondary *** 2 × Mark VII Photon Torpedo Tube ** Heavy *** None ** Advanced *** None ** Equipment *** Tractor Beam Emitter *** Mark VI Probes *** 3 × Type 2 Shuttlecraft Ships in Service (2292) USS Richmond (NCC-3093) USS Charlottesville (NCC-3094) USS Chesapeake (NCC-3095) USS Norfolk (NCC-3096) USS Roanoke (NCC-3097) USS Rochester (NCC-3098) USS Hampton (NCC-3099) USS Arlington (NCC-4000) USS Fairfax (NCC-4001) USS Amherst (NCC-4002) USS Gettysburg (NCC-1801) USS Trenton (NCC-4004) USS Brooklyn (NCC-4005) USS Bedford (NCC-4006) USS Oklahoma (NCC-4007) USS Texas (NCC-4008) USS Idaho (NCC-4009) USS Utah (NCC-4010) USS Reno (NCC-4011) USS Carson (NCC-4012) USS Joliet (NCC-4013) USS Springfield (NCC-4014) USS Georgia (NCC-4015) USS Appalachia (NCC-4016) USS Allegheny (NCC-4017) Category:Federation Vessels Category:Cruisers Category:Heavy Cruisers